I20 Wild Beasts 



the dark, for instead of charging he bolted under a small 

 tree and lay down growling, and in ten minutes all who 

 were coming — and three-fourths of the men did so — 

 had made their appearance, and were formed in a compact 

 body behind me. He had not waited all this time very 

 patiently ; but when I fancied that I saw symptoms of his 

 having a desire to slink away out of reach of the fast- 

 arriving relatives of his victims, I had all the dogs set at 

 him, and though only a few would go, and they could not 

 have hampered his escape, yet they distracted his attention 

 for a time. 



" Our plan was a very simple one. The five hunters and 

 myself were to walk up as close as we dared, and fire in 

 volleys of three, and if we did not kill, and he charged, we 

 were to bolt behind the natives for shelter. We walked 

 up within thirty yards, and I and two hunters stood up 

 while three knelt in front of us and fired, the lion growl- 

 ing furiously the while, but not attempting to move. The 

 moment, however, the balls struck him — and with a lion 

 crouched flat as he was, it was not to be expected that 

 they could kill him unless one hit the centre of his fore- 

 head — he came straight at us, roaring horribly. My two 

 companions, hardly going through the form of taking aim, 

 pulled their triggers and joined those who had already 

 fired. Fortunately the lion could not spring with a broken 

 shoulder, and though he looked most unutterably savage, 

 he did not get over the ground very fast, so I took a steady 

 shot at the centre of his big chest, fully expecting to see 

 him tumble over, but could not even see that it had 

 struck him ; and as he was getting very near I did not 



